Tuition
Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Bulletin

TOPS BULLETIN NUMBER:

T2000-26

DATE ISSUED:

October 12,
2000

EFFECTIVE DATE:

As Indicated

DISTRIBUTION:

Louisiana High School Principals and
Counselors, City and Parish School Board Presidents, School Board
Superintendents, Department of Education, Louisiana Officials, Louisiana
Legislators, and Commission Members

TOPIC:

Expiration of Authority to Waive Courses
in the TOPS Curriculum Which Are Not Offered by the High School

To assure that your Scholarship
and Grant Policy and Procedure Manual remains current, please record this
document on your TOPS Bulletin index and retain it with your manual.

The Authority to Waive Courses in the
TOPS Curriculum Which Are Not Available to Students at the High School Attended
Expires With the High School Graduating Class of 2001.

As we have previously advised,
beginning with the current class of high school seniors who will graduate during
academic year 2000-2001, the administering agency is no longer authorized under
law to waive courses in the TOPS curriculum which were not available to students
at the high school they attended. This expiration of waiver authority means that
a student must complete all courses in the TOPS curriculum (or the authorized
substitutes for those courses) to be eligible for an award, regardless of
whether the school the student attended offered the courses.

Consequently, It is vitally important
that students who plan to continue their education after high school be informed
that courses in the TOPS curriculum may no longer be waived simply because the
courses were not available to the student at the school attended.
Schools are encouraged to assist their enrolled students in finding an alternate
means of completing TOPS courses that are not offered by the school.

A Response Is Requested
From High Schools Which Are Not Offering Students the Core Courses Required to
Qualify for TOPS.

All high schools
whose graduates may be considered for TOPS and which, during academic year 2000-2001,
will not offer enrolled students all courses in the TOPS curriculum (or an authorized
substitute for those courses) are requested to advise this office of the TOPS
courses which will not be offered. Please forward your listing of unavailable
courses to Wendy Garcia by one of the following means: Telephone at 1-800-259-5626,
extension 1133; or by e-mail at wgarcia@osfa.state.la.us;
or by fax at 1-225-922-1089.